MIT Maker Survey

In a place like MIT, where making happens all the time, it is useful to pause periodically and check in on the ‘state of making.’ To inform the design of the MET makerspace, MIT students were asked about the state of making at MIT. The results were illuminating and we thought you’d like to see some of the interesting results.

Who responded?

17% overall responded (this is great for a summer survey!)

22% of undergraduates responded

13 % of graduate students responded

Q: Which year are you? Note: freshman had not arrived/spent time on campus so they are not represented in the survey.

Q: Do you identify as any of the following?

How pervasive is making at MIT?

Q: Have you or do you intend to take any classes, including all classes, at MIT where you are expected to “make” something as a prototype or for a final project?

Q: During a typical week in the last academic year, how many hours did you spend building, making, or creating?

Q: Approximately how much of your own money do you spend each academic year on the resources, raw materials, tools, etc. for things you make at MIT?

What are MIT makers up to?

Q: In the last year, have you built, made, or created in any of these areas? Please check all that apply.

Q: Where do you make?

Q: IF YOU ANSWERED THAT YOU MAKE ‘WHERE I LIVE,’ WHAT DO YOU MAKE THERE?:

Q: Thinking about your own schedule during the school year, would you use maker spaces during any of these times if they were open?

What MIT makers want in a makerspace

Q: If you could design your own maker space, which tools, technologies, and equipment would be essential, nice to have, or excluded?Note: The rightmost columns (from left to right) represent responses of – Essential – Nice to have – Excluded – Ambivalent

Q: Which amenities and other spaces would your ideal maker space include?Note: The rightmost columns (from left to right) represent responses of – Essential – Nice to have – Excluded – Ambivalent

Solving the training bottleneck

Q: Learning to use both simple and complex tools and technologies requires training and practice. Which of the following possible training options appeal to you the most?

MIT believes it is important for any student, whether at MIT or not, to have access to the best possible makerspaces and maker resources. Toward this end, MIT has made this survey freely available to other universities so that it is easier for them to obtain this information. They may use the survey in whole, or in part, or with adaptation to suite their specific universities resources/needs.